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NorthJersey.com
Passaic County officials this week approved a $5.3 million contract to remodel an underused office building in West Milford into a satellite health center.
The planned facility will include a public health clinic, behavioral health services and a senior nutrition program, catering to upcounty residents, officials said. Construction is expected to begin in early 2025 and wrap up by the end of 2026.
The project stems from an extended long-term shared services agreement with West Milford for public health services that has been amended to include a lease of the municipally owned Johner Building. Originally constructed in 1970 for precision metal manufacturing, the building off Edgar Drive was later acquired by the township and has been used for municipal storage and emergency services.
Under the shared services agreement, the Passaic County Health Department has provided environmental health inspections, clinics, inoculations and education programs in recent years. Despite these efforts, Charlene Gungil, health officer for both Passaic County and West Milford, has emphasized the need to expand services in the county's northwest to better meet residents' needs.
“This satellite office is a testament to what shared services can accomplish,” said West Milford Mayor Michele Dale. “By working together, we’re bringing essential health and wellness resources closer to home for our residents.”
The new satellite office will complement shared health services agreements with neighboring Wanaque and, starting in January 2025, Bloomingdale, officials said. In 2011, county officials opened a satellite office on Ringwood Avenue in Wanaque to offer social, career and county clerk services to residents.
John Bartlett, director of the Passaic County Board of Commissioners, said the new office and the upcounty partnerships are designed to provide equitable access to critical health and wellness programs that may be lacking.
"Our commitment to public health is stronger than ever," he said.
The Johner Building will undergo renovations under a project labor agreement created earlier this year to ensure that skilled local workers fill construction jobs, including this one, said Brian Jackson, the president of the Passaic County Building and Construction Trades Council. The project cost will primarily be covered by CARES Act funds, county records show.
"This transformative initiative not only strengthens our community by addressing critical public health and wellness needs but also creates good jobs for local workers," Jackson said.
West Milford officials in past decades considered using the Johner Building to house some municipal offices, including the health, tax and engineering departments. The idea was shelved when town officials collaborated with the library board to construct an expanded library. This project made the former library available, and town officials have since favored it over the Johner Building for office space.